I was so fortunate to be an adopted as an infant. My birth mother (from what I know) was about 18 years old when she became pregnant w/ me. She had already one child prior to my conception and that child was taken care of by her mother. Knowing she couldn't take care of me, and that her mother couldn't take care of another child, she put me up for adoption. As far as my adopted parents go, (whom I'll refer to as mom and dad), also already had one child but they always wanted two. My mom had 3 or 4 miscarrages and was starting to realize she might not be able to create a second biological child. So both mom and dad signed up for adoption. They received a call from the adoption agency about my tentative birth shortly after my birth mom realized she was pregnant. About a couple of months after that my mom found out she was pregnant. Expecting another miscarrage my parents didn't take themselves off the adoption list. Upon my birth my mom called me John (meaning gift from God). My younger sister was born 6 months after that. About the time my sister was born my mom who was a PHD Doctor (in Germany, where they lived and where I was born), relaized that something was wrong with me. I didn't smile always had clenched fists. My mom pulled some strings and managed to get me seen by a specialist to have me examined. The doctor discovered that I had early stages of muscular distrophy. Just so you know in Germany at the time would not allow parents to adopt "sick" children. Since my mom now had two biological children, she was encouraged by her family to give me back to the adoption agency . My mom refused saying this is my gift from God, I won't give him up. Unable to adopt me my parent kept me as a foster child. Unlike here in America where when you have muscular distrophy your screwed, in Germany the doctor said that with extensive physical therapy I could overcome this disease. My mom spent 6 to 8 hours a day, 7 days per week, for 4 years, doing extensive physical therapy w/ me before I was declared cured and she was able to adopt me. If it hadn't been for her, I would have been handycaped and raised in an orphanage. Never able to repay that debt, I was blessed with the oportunity to provide my mom with 24 hr care during the last stages of lymphoma cancer so she wouldn't have to go to a long term care facility and able to take care of and help my dad fully recover from a stroke. There is nothing I could ever do that could even come close repaying the love from my parents but hopefully I have been able to be a gift from God for them both! People ask me if I'v ever wanted to meet my birth mother. The answer is no. If I ever met her, I would probably ask questions about my family medical history and I would thank her for giving me up!